Come As You Are Ft. Sofia Fly
DJ SPOTLIGHT
What are your pronouns?
She/Her They/Them
What is your cultural background?
Mixed/Latin-Canadian/El Salvadoran
What is your favourite genre of music?
Anything I can dance to. HipHop, Reggaeton, and House make me dance the most.
Who are 3 artists that you feel have made and impact on you and your work? And in what way?
Missy Elliott- She was the first female rapper I came across as a child. Her verse on 1,2 Step "shake it like jello make the boys say hello" was my favorite shit to rap along to. She has this fun, feminine, playful, boss bitch, bounce to her music that I love and will be forever inspo-d by.
Ivy Queen- She is the OG Reggaeton Queen!! I fell in love with Reggaeton as a teenager in the mid 2000s. At the time it was a very male dominated genre and Ivy Queen was really the only prominent female artist. I mean, you had Shakira and J-Lo crossing over every once in a while, but it wasn't often, and didn't quite hit as hard. Ivy Queen paved the way for artists like Karol G, Natti Natasha, and Becky G and now Reggaeton finally has some proper female representation. Also the fact that she has quite a deep voice for a woman and isn't the most conventionally/eurocentrically attractive, is also inspiring to me as someone who also matches that description.
M.I.A- I LOVE! HER! SOUND! SO! MUCH! Also the fact that she is able to get political while still making music you can dance to.
How would you describe freedom in relation to your life?
Freedom means I have space to express myself. To wear what I want. To love who I want. To be my authentic self and have the majority of people in my life respect that. To live in a world where I don't have to lie to people because of fear.
What does it mean to you to be your most authentic self?
It means being emotionally honest with myself every damn day. It means making actions that bring me joy and standing up against anything that brings me pain. The universe gifted me with a range of emotions and the ability to make my own decisions. Being my authentic self means using that decision making ability to walk through this life experiencing and expressing love and happiness as much as I have the strength to.
